It's hard to believe that I have maintained this blog since August 30, 2004. I have ended each of those years with an obligatory end of year post. In 2004 I basically described our sad little plans for the evening (not very exciting, and I don't think we ever did get that lobster). In 2005 I was quite philosophical and decidingly committed to not bad mouthing Knothead who (surprise surprise) was into drama and shenaningens! In 2006 I actually did do a review of my year and people actually read and commented! How self centered am I?
So here we are, ending 2007. I have had a wonderful year actually. I don't know why I remain amazed at how incredible true love is when you have found the one with whom you are meant to live out your life. I fall a little more in love with HB each day, and this year has been another one of those years.
My job really settled out this year. I returned to my home position, and have been feeling fulfilled and challenged by it. I am very close to finishing the masters program I began in January 2006 - hard to believe!
We have been blessed this year with days of great joy, days of great sorrow, and days of great mediocrity. Every day has been treasured.
I have been reading a book on the Paradoxical Commandments, and at the risk of being completely philosophical here, am going to post these here as a reminder for myself when I reach the obligatory end of the year post in 2008. My hope is that I can remember that these commandments are indeed my calling for every day in 2008.
People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.
If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.
Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.
The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
Think big anyway.
People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.
People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
Help people anyway.
Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.
Copyright Kent M. Keith 1968, 2001.
Happy New Year.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Merrying up a bit...
Ok...less humbuggy today. Frodo and Mini-Me arrived last night. Frodo is wired for sound and that sound is LOUD. Everything is on hi-volume with him. We had a bit of a set-to earlier today, but I have to keep reminding myself that he is almost 13 and therefore cannot help being annoying.
Mini-Me continues to be the apple of my eye. He is turning into the coolest of cool kids! Smart as all get out. Not that he doesn't get annoying at times as well, but because he is so much like HB, we can get it out in the open and be done with it. He wears everything on his sleeve - just like his dad. The other one is too much like his mother and let's face it, HB turned to drugs to cope with her behaviour!
We headed out in separate vehicles to finish up our Christmas stuff today. HB had the kids and I was on my own, mostly because I haven't had a minute to do anything for HB! Funny enough, we ended up at the same mall several hours later and so joined up for lunch. We took the kids into the arcade and let them bat off some steam there, which was fun. Then they came home to play pond hockey and I continued on to finish everything else on my list. Tonight we head out to a party - where kids are welcome! A rare treat since we usually have to turn down invitations on the weekends that they are here with us.
I was watching a story on the news last night that the Salvation Army in our area is down in their campaign by almost $50,000 this year. I stood and watched the kettle for a while at the mall today, and it's true - so many of us out there whizzing by with our dust collecting stocking stuffers in hand, and not stopping to put anything in to help others. For every one person that stopped, I bet there were thirty that didn't. So HB and I made a decision to not buy something we were going to buy today, and put the money in the kettle instead. It feels like the right decision. We have so much, and truly want for nothing. Sure we have money woes, but most of it is because of choices we make.
So yeah...less humbuggy tonight. Keep the reason for the season burning in your heart.
Mini-Me continues to be the apple of my eye. He is turning into the coolest of cool kids! Smart as all get out. Not that he doesn't get annoying at times as well, but because he is so much like HB, we can get it out in the open and be done with it. He wears everything on his sleeve - just like his dad. The other one is too much like his mother and let's face it, HB turned to drugs to cope with her behaviour!
We headed out in separate vehicles to finish up our Christmas stuff today. HB had the kids and I was on my own, mostly because I haven't had a minute to do anything for HB! Funny enough, we ended up at the same mall several hours later and so joined up for lunch. We took the kids into the arcade and let them bat off some steam there, which was fun. Then they came home to play pond hockey and I continued on to finish everything else on my list. Tonight we head out to a party - where kids are welcome! A rare treat since we usually have to turn down invitations on the weekends that they are here with us.
I was watching a story on the news last night that the Salvation Army in our area is down in their campaign by almost $50,000 this year. I stood and watched the kettle for a while at the mall today, and it's true - so many of us out there whizzing by with our dust collecting stocking stuffers in hand, and not stopping to put anything in to help others. For every one person that stopped, I bet there were thirty that didn't. So HB and I made a decision to not buy something we were going to buy today, and put the money in the kettle instead. It feels like the right decision. We have so much, and truly want for nothing. Sure we have money woes, but most of it is because of choices we make.
So yeah...less humbuggy tonight. Keep the reason for the season burning in your heart.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Feeling Humbuggy Today
Remember when blogging used to be the focus of every day? I do. Odd now that I rarely think to put up a post these days, although I still have a number of blogs that I check regularly. I still feel touched though, when I see comments and realize that people are still coming here wondering about me. Thanks you guys!
We're so close to Christmas ... only another five days really. HB and I will do our usual thing - play guitar and sing at two masses on Christmas Eve, and then head up to my folks' place on the 25th. For the first time since the Christmas before my brother died in 1999, my SIL and niece will also be there. I'm having some mixed feelings about that. Also for the first time ever, HB has asked that we go to his mom's for a bit before heading out to my family's place. His brother, whom I don't really know at all, is going to be there and he wants to spend some time there. Normally this would sound like a reasonable request, but there is a lot of history there with this brother. None the less, we will go for a bit.
Frodo and Mini-Me will come over on the 26th, and we'll do everything all over again. It just works out so much better that way - no stress of trying to cram everything into one day. We got them some pretty cool gifts this year (Guitar Hero III! THE score of the season - I ROCK!) and we're not having a whole truckload of company that day, so I think we'll just relax and enjoy each other and the new games that day.
I'm still struggling a bit with Knothead and her incessant requests for money and help. I believe she thinks we are just a bottomless pit of funds here. Well, today we realized that we do indeed have a bottom to the pit, and we've hit it. She called last night to inform HB that he has to take Frodo to a hockey tournament in another province at the beginning of January, which all together will run about $500, and truthfully, I'm not sure where we're going to come up with the money. I know she's doing it because she doesn't have the money either - but geeze Louise, shouldn't we be being grown up and just tell the kid we're all broke? This teaching kids early how to live beyond their means just doesn't quite seem wise to me but who am I? Just the step mother.
So tonight, I'm sitting with all of our financial transactions for the last six months, summarizing everything, and trying to figure out where we can cut. HB has already made a few comments about haircuts and waxing .... I'm thinking that perhaps we can cut down on the HUGE grocery bills or extra money that goes over to her house before I stop getting my hair cut, or start sporting a unibrow. Sheesh.
Bah humbug ... hehe.
We're so close to Christmas ... only another five days really. HB and I will do our usual thing - play guitar and sing at two masses on Christmas Eve, and then head up to my folks' place on the 25th. For the first time since the Christmas before my brother died in 1999, my SIL and niece will also be there. I'm having some mixed feelings about that. Also for the first time ever, HB has asked that we go to his mom's for a bit before heading out to my family's place. His brother, whom I don't really know at all, is going to be there and he wants to spend some time there. Normally this would sound like a reasonable request, but there is a lot of history there with this brother. None the less, we will go for a bit.
Frodo and Mini-Me will come over on the 26th, and we'll do everything all over again. It just works out so much better that way - no stress of trying to cram everything into one day. We got them some pretty cool gifts this year (Guitar Hero III! THE score of the season - I ROCK!) and we're not having a whole truckload of company that day, so I think we'll just relax and enjoy each other and the new games that day.
I'm still struggling a bit with Knothead and her incessant requests for money and help. I believe she thinks we are just a bottomless pit of funds here. Well, today we realized that we do indeed have a bottom to the pit, and we've hit it. She called last night to inform HB that he has to take Frodo to a hockey tournament in another province at the beginning of January, which all together will run about $500, and truthfully, I'm not sure where we're going to come up with the money. I know she's doing it because she doesn't have the money either - but geeze Louise, shouldn't we be being grown up and just tell the kid we're all broke? This teaching kids early how to live beyond their means just doesn't quite seem wise to me but who am I? Just the step mother.
So tonight, I'm sitting with all of our financial transactions for the last six months, summarizing everything, and trying to figure out where we can cut. HB has already made a few comments about haircuts and waxing .... I'm thinking that perhaps we can cut down on the HUGE grocery bills or extra money that goes over to her house before I stop getting my hair cut, or start sporting a unibrow. Sheesh.
Bah humbug ... hehe.
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